Latest news with #PacificWaves
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fiji Can't Compete With Australia And NZ On Teacher Salaries
Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin Editor Fiji cannot compete with Australia and New Zealand to retain its teachers, the man in charge of the country's finances says. The Fijian education system is facing major challenges as the Sitiveni Rabuka-led coalition struggles to address a teacher shortage. While the education sector recieves a significant chunk of the budget (approximately NZ$587 million), it has not been sufficient, as global demand for skilled teachers is pulling qualified Fijian educators toward greener pastures. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Biman Prasad said that the government is training more teachers. "The government has put in measures, we are training enough teachers, but we are also losing teachers to Australia and New Zealand," he told Pacific Waves on the sidelines of the University of the South Pacific Council meeting in Auckland last week. "We are happy that Australia and New Zealand gain those skills, particularly in the area of maths and science, where you have a shortage. And obviously, Fiji cannot match the salaries that teachers get in Australia and New Zealand. According to the Education Ministry's Strategic Development Plan (2023-2026), the shortage of teachers is one of the key challenges, alongside limited resources and inadequate infrastructure, particularly for primary schools. Reports in local media in August last year said there were hundreds of teacher vacancies that needed to be filled. However, Prasad said there were a lot of teachers who are staying in Fiji as the government was taking steps to keep teachers in the country. "We are training more teachers. We are putting additional funding, in terms of making sure that we provide the right environment, right support to our teachers," he said. "In the last two years, we have increased the salaries of the civil service right across the board, and those salaries and wages range from between 10 to 20 percent. "We are again going to look at how we can rationalise some of the positions within the Education Ministry, right from preschool up to high school." Meanwhile, the Fijian government is currently undertaking a review of the Education Act 1966. Education Minister Aseri Radrodro said in parliament last month that a draft bill is expected to be submitted to Cabinet in July. "The Education Act 1966, the foundational law for pre-tertiary education in Fiji, has only been amended a few times since its promulgation, and has not undergone a comprehensive review," he said. "It is imperative that this legislation be updated to reflect modern standards and address current issues within the education system."
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fijian Indians In NZ ‘Not Giving Up' On Pasifika Classification Battle
This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji. Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer , RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor The co-founder of Auckland's Fiji Centre is concerned that Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa. This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji, who departed from Calcutta. On 14 May 1879, the first group of 522 labourers arrived in Fiji aboard the Leonidas, a labour transportation ship. Over 60,000 men, women and children were brought to Fiji under an oppressive system of bonded labour between 1879 and 1916. Today, Indo-Fijians make up 33 percent of the population. While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under 'Indian' and 'Asian' on the Stats NZ website. Nik Naidu said that he understands Fiji was the only country in the Pacific where the British implemented the indentured system. 'It is also a sad legacy and a sad story because it was basically slavery,' he said. 'The positive was that that Fijian Indian community made a lasting impact on Fiji. 'They continue to be around 30 percent of the population in Fiji, and I think significantly in Aotearoa, through the migration, the numbers are, according to the community, over 100,000 in New Zealand.' However, he said the discussions on ethnic classification 'reached a stalemate' with the previous Pacific Peoples Minister. 'His basic argument was, well, ethnographically, Fijian Indians do not fit the profile of Pacific Islanders,' he said. Then-minister Aupito William Sio said in 2021 that, while he understood the group's concerns, the classification for Fijian Indians was in line with an ethnographic profile which included people with a common language, customs and traditions. Aupito said that profile was different from indigenous Pacific peoples. 'StatsNZ recognises ethnicity as the ethnic group or groups a person self-identifies with or has a sense of belonging to,' Aupito said in a letter at the time. It is not the same as race, ancestry, nationality, citizenship or even place of birth, he said. 'They have identified themselves now that the system of government has not acknowledged them. 'Those conversations have to be ongoing to figure out how do we capture the data of who they are as Fijian Indians or to develop policies around that to support their aspirations.' Naidu believes the ethnographic argument was a misunderstanding of the request. 'The request is not to say, like Chinese in Samoa, they are not indigenous to Samoa, but they are Samoans, and they are Pacific Chinese. 'So there is the same thing with Fijian Indians. They are not wanting to be indigenous. 'They do want to be recognised as separate Indians in the Pacific because they are very different from the mainland Indians. 'In fact, most probably 99 percent of Fijian Indians have never been to India and have no affiliations to India because during the Girmit they lost all connections with their families.' However, Naidu told Pacific Waves the community is not giving up. 'There was a human rights complaint made – again that did not progress in the favour of the Fijian Indians. 'Currently from…Fiji Centre's perspective, we are still pursuing that. 'We have also had a discussion with Stats NZ about the numbers and trying to ascertain just why they have not managed to put a separate category, so that we can look at the number of Fijian Indians and also relative to Pacific Islanders.' Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told RNZ Pacific that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian. Last year, RNZ Pacific asked the current Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti on whether Indo-Fijians were included in Ministry of Pacific Peoples as Pacific people. In a statement, his office said: 'The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is undertaking ongoing policy work to better understand this issue.' Meanwhile, the University of Fiji's vice-chancellor is asking the Australian and British governments to consider paying reparation for the exploitation of the indentured labourers more than a century ago. Professor Shaista Shameem told the ABC they endured harsh conditions, with long hours, social restrictions and low wages. She said the Australian government and the Colonial Sugar Refinery of Australia benefitted the most financially and it was time the descendants were compensated. While some community leaders have been calling for reparation, Naidu said there are other issues that need attention. He said it has been an ongoing discussion for many decades. 'It is a very challenging one, because where do you draw the line? And it is a global problem, the indenture system. It is not just unique to Fiji. 'Personally, yes, I think that is a great idea. Practically, I am not sure if it is feasible and possible.' Focus on what unites – Rabuka Fiji is on a path for reconciliation, with leaders from across the political spectrum signing a Forward Fiji Declaration in 2023, hoping to usher in a new era of understanding between the indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Rabuka announced a public holiday to commemorate Girmit Day in 2023. In his Girmit Day message this year, Rabuka said his government is dedicated to bringing unity and reconciliation between all races living in Fiji. 'We all know that Fiji has had a troubled past, as it was natural that conflicts would arise when a new group of people would come into another's space,' he said. 'This is precisely what transpired when the Indians began to live or decided to live as permanent citizens. 'There was distrust as the two groups were not used to living together during the colonial days. Indigenous Fijians did not have a say in why, and how many should come and how they should be settled here. Fiji was not given a time to transit. The policy of indenture labour system was dumped on us. Naturally this led to tensions and misunderstandings, reasons that fuelled conflicts that followed after Fiji gained independence.' He said 146 years later, Fijians should focus on what unites rather than what divides them. 'We have together long enough to know that unity and peace will lead us to a good future.'
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fijian Indians In NZ ‘Not Giving Up' On Pasifika Classification Battle
Article – RNZ This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji. Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer , RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor The co-founder of Auckland's Fiji Centre is concerned that Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa. This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji, who departed from Calcutta. On 14 May 1879, the first group of 522 labourers arrived in Fiji aboard the Leonidas, a labour transportation ship. Over 60,000 men, women and children were brought to Fiji under an oppressive system of bonded labour between 1879 and 1916. Today, Indo-Fijians make up 33 percent of the population. While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under 'Indian' and 'Asian' on the Stats NZ website. Nik Naidu said that he understands Fiji was the only country in the Pacific where the British implemented the indentured system. 'It is also a sad legacy and a sad story because it was basically slavery,' he said. 'The positive was that that Fijian Indian community made a lasting impact on Fiji. 'They continue to be around 30 percent of the population in Fiji, and I think significantly in Aotearoa, through the migration, the numbers are, according to the community, over 100,000 in New Zealand.' However, he said the discussions on ethnic classification 'reached a stalemate' with the previous Pacific Peoples Minister. 'His basic argument was, well, ethnographically, Fijian Indians do not fit the profile of Pacific Islanders,' he said. Then-minister Aupito William Sio said in 2021 that, while he understood the group's concerns, the classification for Fijian Indians was in line with an ethnographic profile which included people with a common language, customs and traditions. Aupito said that profile was different from indigenous Pacific peoples. 'StatsNZ recognises ethnicity as the ethnic group or groups a person self-identifies with or has a sense of belonging to,' Aupito said in a letter at the time. It is not the same as race, ancestry, nationality, citizenship or even place of birth, he said. 'They have identified themselves now that the system of government has not acknowledged them. 'Those conversations have to be ongoing to figure out how do we capture the data of who they are as Fijian Indians or to develop policies around that to support their aspirations.' Naidu believes the ethnographic argument was a misunderstanding of the request. 'The request is not to say, like Chinese in Samoa, they are not indigenous to Samoa, but they are Samoans, and they are Pacific Chinese. 'So there is the same thing with Fijian Indians. They are not wanting to be indigenous. 'They do want to be recognised as separate Indians in the Pacific because they are very different from the mainland Indians. 'In fact, most probably 99 percent of Fijian Indians have never been to India and have no affiliations to India because during the Girmit they lost all connections with their families.' However, Naidu told Pacific Waves the community is not giving up. 'There was a human rights complaint made – again that did not progress in the favour of the Fijian Indians. 'Currently from…Fiji Centre's perspective, we are still pursuing that. 'We have also had a discussion with Stats NZ about the numbers and trying to ascertain just why they have not managed to put a separate category, so that we can look at the number of Fijian Indians and also relative to Pacific Islanders.' Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told RNZ Pacific that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian. Last year, RNZ Pacific asked the current Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti on whether Indo-Fijians were included in Ministry of Pacific Peoples as Pacific people. In a statement, his office said: 'The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is undertaking ongoing policy work to better understand this issue.' Meanwhile, the University of Fiji's vice-chancellor is asking the Australian and British governments to consider paying reparation for the exploitation of the indentured labourers more than a century ago. Professor Shaista Shameem told the ABC they endured harsh conditions, with long hours, social restrictions and low wages. She said the Australian government and the Colonial Sugar Refinery of Australia benefitted the most financially and it was time the descendants were compensated. While some community leaders have been calling for reparation, Naidu said there are other issues that need attention. He said it has been an ongoing discussion for many decades. 'It is a very challenging one, because where do you draw the line? And it is a global problem, the indenture system. It is not just unique to Fiji. 'Personally, yes, I think that is a great idea. Practically, I am not sure if it is feasible and possible.' Focus on what unites – Rabuka Fiji is on a path for reconciliation, with leaders from across the political spectrum signing a Forward Fiji Declaration in 2023, hoping to usher in a new era of understanding between the indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Rabuka announced a public holiday to commemorate Girmit Day in 2023. In his Girmit Day message this year, Rabuka said his government is dedicated to bringing unity and reconciliation between all races living in Fiji. 'We all know that Fiji has had a troubled past, as it was natural that conflicts would arise when a new group of people would come into another's space,' he said. 'This is precisely what transpired when the Indians began to live or decided to live as permanent citizens. 'There was distrust as the two groups were not used to living together during the colonial days. Indigenous Fijians did not have a say in why, and how many should come and how they should be settled here. Fiji was not given a time to transit. The policy of indenture labour system was dumped on us. Naturally this led to tensions and misunderstandings, reasons that fuelled conflicts that followed after Fiji gained independence.' He said 146 years later, Fijians should focus on what unites rather than what divides them. 'We have together long enough to know that unity and peace will lead us to a good future.'
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fijian Indians In NZ 'Not Giving Up' On Pasifika Classification Battle
The co-founder of Auckland's Fiji Centre is concerned that Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa. This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji, who departed from Calcutta. On 14 May 1879, the first group of 522 labourers arrived in Fiji aboard the Leonidas, a labour transportation ship. Over 60,000 men, women and children were brought to Fiji under an oppressive system of bonded labour between 1879 and 1916. Today, Indo-Fijians make up 33 percent of the population. While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under "Indian" and "Asian" on the Stats NZ website. Nik Naidu said that he understands Fiji was the only country in the Pacific where the British implemented the indentured system. "It is also a sad legacy and a sad story because it was basically slavery," he said. "The positive was that that Fijian Indian community made a lasting impact on Fiji. "They continue to be around 30 percent of the population in Fiji, and I think significantly in Aotearoa, through the migration, the numbers are, according to the community, over 100,000 in New Zealand." However, he said the discussions on ethnic classification"reached a stalemate" with the previous Pacific Peoples Minister. "His basic argument was, well, ethnographically, Fijian Indians do not fit the profile of Pacific Islanders," he said. Then-minister Aupito William Sio said in 2021 that, while he understood the group's concerns, the classification for Fijian Indians was in line with an ethnographic profile which included people with a common language, customs and traditions. Aupito said that profile was different from indigenous Pacific peoples. "StatsNZ recognises ethnicity as the ethnic group or groups a person self-identifies with or has a sense of belonging to," Aupito said in a letter at the time. It is not the same as race, ancestry, nationality, citizenship or even place of birth, he said. "They have identified themselves now that the system of government has not acknowledged them. "Those conversations have to be ongoing to figure out how do we capture the data of who they are as Fijian Indians or to develop policies around that to support their aspirations." Naidu believes the ethnographic argument was a misunderstanding of the request. "The request is not to say, like Chinese in Samoa, they are not indigenous to Samoa, but they are Samoans, and they are Pacific Chinese. "So there is the same thing with Fijian Indians. They are not wanting to be indigenous. "They do want to be recognised as separate Indians in the Pacific because they are very different from the mainland Indians. "In fact, most probably 99 percent of Fijian Indians have never been to India and have no affiliations to India because during the Girmit they lost all connections with their families." However, Naidu told Pacific Waves the community is not giving up. "There was a human rights complaint made - again that did not progress in the favour of the Fijian Indians. "Currently Centre's perspective, we are still pursuing that. "We have also had a discussion with Stats NZ about the numbers and trying to ascertain just why they have not managed to put a separate category, so that we can look at the number of Fijian Indians and also relative to Pacific Islanders." Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told RNZ Pacific that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian. Last year, RNZ Pacific asked the current Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti on whether Indo-Fijians were included in Ministry of Pacific Peoples as Pacific people. In a statement, his office said: "The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is undertaking ongoing policy work to better understand this issue." Meanwhile, the University of Fiji's vice-chancellor is asking the Australian and British governments to consider paying reparation for the exploitation of the indentured labourers more than a century ago. Professor Shaista Shameem told the ABC they endured harsh conditions, with long hours, social restrictions and low wages. She said the Australian government and the Colonial Sugar Refinery of Australia benefitted the most financially and it was time the descendants were compensated. While some community leaders have been calling for reparation, Naidu said there are other issues that need attention. He said it has been an ongoing discussion for many decades. "It is a very challenging one, because where do you draw the line? And it is a global problem, the indenture system. It is not just unique to Fiji. "Personally, yes, I think that is a great idea. Practically, I am not sure if it is feasible and possible." Focus on what unites - Rabuka Fiji is on a path for reconciliation, with leaders from across the political spectrum signing a Forward Fiji Declaration in 2023, hoping to usher in a new era of understanding between the indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Rabuka announced a public holiday to commemorate Girmit Day in 2023. In his Girmit Day message this year, Rabuka said his government is dedicated to bringing unity and reconciliation between all races living in Fiji. "We all know that Fiji has had a troubled past, as it was natural that conflicts would arise when a new group of people would come into another's space," he said. "This is precisely what transpired when the Indians began to live or decided to live as permanent citizens. "There was distrust as the two groups were not used to living together during the colonial days. Indigenous Fijians did not have a say in why, and how many should come and how they should be settled here. Fiji was not given a time to transit. The policy of indenture labour system was dumped on us. Naturally this led to tensions and misunderstandings, reasons that fuelled conflicts that followed after Fiji gained independence." He said 146 years later, Fijians should focus on what unites rather than what divides them. "We have together long enough to know that unity and peace will lead us to a good future."
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Pacific Health Expert Says Auckland Measles Case Is A ‘Red Flag'
A Pacific health expert is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated to keep their families and other Pacific nations safe. Aotearoa is on alert for measles after a case was identified in Auckland over the weekend. The country's public health agency issued the alert on Sunday after a ferry worker was identified as infectious with measles while at work and in public. Measles is a highly infectious and potentially deadly disease. It infects children as well as adults and spreads through coughing, sneezing or talking. Up to 90 percent of non-immune people – those who have not been vaccinated against measles, or have not had it already – will be infected if exposed to the virus. Dr Api Talemaitoga said Pacific communities are particularly susceptible to the disease due to low vaccination rates. In December, 70.4 percent of Pacific babies were fully vaccinated (two measles, mumps and rubella – MMR – shots) at age two, according to health data. For Māori, the rate was 63.3 percent. Overall, 76.4 percent of two-year-olds were fully vaccinated. Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent measles in 95 percent of people over the age of one, and 98 percent of those aged over 18 months. Dr Talemaitoga said the Auckland case was 'a red flag' for Pacific communities. 'Because for Pacific, we know the history of what happened several years ago, where we effectively exported measles to Samoa resulting in the death of 80-plus young children. 'We don't want that to happen.' Cases were reported in American Samoa in 2023. Dr Talemaitoga said to prevent outbreaks of measles, 95 percent of the population needs to be fully immunised. A high immunisation rate is also important for preventing the disease from spreading within Pacific families and communities, and to smaller Pacific nations, he said. 'Our islands will really struggle to respond. 'Their health systems are stretched. They do their best with the resources that they've got, and it's fantastic what they can do, but this is like an added burden on already stretched health systems in our Pacific Island nations, and so I think we really need to be careful.' Dr Talemaitoga said Pacific families living in New Zealand must be vigilant. 'Traditionally [in New Zealand], we live in overcrowded houses. We tend to have a lot of family gatherings. And if someone is unknowingly or unwittingly unwell, they can pass on this measles virus to others,' he said. 'Pacific people also have higher rates of comorbidities – respiratory problems, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure – things that may lower their immunity and make them more susceptible to the virus.' Vaccinologist professor Helen Petousis-Harris said the latest measles case confirmed in Auckland highlights the 'ticking time bomb' of low vaccine rates. Petousis-Harris told Pacific Waves that measles vaccination numbers have been declining in Aotearoa including among Pasifika communities, and the drop is due to a number of factors. 'We need it to be easy for people to access the services,' she said. 'We need to be able to support the frontline services to make sure that they are able to deliver. 'But also, we have had an increase in hesitancy, a loss of trust, and the challenge of misinformation. So, we have got all of these things against us at the moment.' She said the covid pandemic did not help with vaccine rates, but since then they have continued to decline every year. 'We did really well to about 2016 and then they began to decline. 'We are now at a stage where we have extremely low coverage, particularly in some communities. 'For example, among Māori infants at the moment, there could be less than half of them who have received their measles vaccine.' Health New Zealand has published a list of locations the ferry worker was at while infectious from 3-5 May on its website. All locations of interest are in Auckland. Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease or has symptoms should call their GP and seek healthcare advice. Measles symptoms include fever, coughing, a runny nose and watery pink eyes. Those infected can also get small white spots on the back of their inner cheek. Symptoms start between seven and 18 days after exposure. Those infected with measles should isolate and stay away from work and school.
